Inspiration for Design:http://www.archello.com/en/project/new-deichman-library#

WEACT Environmental Justice Center is located at 459 West 140th Street, between Amsterdam and Convent Avenue, in New York City, adjacent to City College and within the Hamilton Heights historic landmark district.

The Environmental Justice Center will serve as the new office for the client organization whose primary mission is to focus on environmental justice and sustainability, but also as an interactive community facility devoted to educational and social programs.

The design parti works across the longitudinal section of the building, dividing it into three distinctive vertical bars. The first bar located along the front façade, emphasizes historical preservation of the front façade, reestablishment of the original townhouse floor to ceiling heights and reuse of salvaged interior wood ornamentation.

The second bar introduces a vertical light shaft, which serves as a ventilation system, educational display for rainwater runoff and collection, as well as providing a space for interior landscaping. This mid-building component links the front and rear sections of the building.

The rear (third) bar is completely new, and while mirroring floor to ceiling heights of the front bar up through the fourth floor, adds three additional stories to the rear of the building. The additional stories will have minimal code compliant floor to ceiling heights, which camouflages the new addition from being visible from the street. The cellar floor will be excavated +/- one and half feet to allow for maximum usable square footage.